Brougham love has been a bit thin around here lately, so let’s get our juices flowing a bit with this broughtastic Cougar XR7, in green no less. I’m going to copy the text from the ad (here), because it does much more justice to it than I could ever muster. Why they refer to it as a “two door sedan” is a bit perplexing, but for $10,990, it can be yours. Hat tip to Ed Hathaway, who sent this my way. Since I can’t afford a Porsche 356, this might be the perfect alternative.

New to our Benicia showroom is this simply amazing 1979 Mercury Cougar XR7 2 Door Sedan with factory green exterior paint and a matching green interior. This one-owner classic is almost 100% original and a true survivor with only 9,501 lifetime miles, and it’s factory 351 V-8 runs like it just pulled out of the factory dealership.

It’s also highly optioned with power steering/brakes/doors, cold air conditioning, an upgraded factory sound system, cruise control, a tilt alarm and so much more; you absolutely must see it in person to truly appreciate it.

This 1979 Mercury Cougar XR7 has a simply amazing story; the current owner purchased it new way back in 1979 and he has had it serviced at the same Mercury dealership in Arizona for the past 36 years. That means every oil change, adjustment and tune up is on record to show that this is a true survivor that’s been babied throughout its entire life. To our knowledge, the only things that are not original on this desirable classic are the brand new tires, the battery and other commonly serviced parts.

In terms of actual condition, there is no other way to describe this vehicle other than saying it’s virtually perfect. While it has spent the vast majority of its life in storage, the current owner has had it detailed regularly and it really shows.

The factory paint is exceptional, the interior still looks/smells like new and the engine compartment is practically spotless. It’s simply an amazing classic that’s escaped the tests of time.

Overall, this 1979 Mercury Cougar XR7 Sedan is easily the nicest example in the country at this time since it is essentially a brand new, factory original vehicle.

The only part of the story we don’t have is why the original owner decided to never really drive it, but his loss is certainly one lucky collector’s gain. For more information about this vehicle, visit our Benicia, California showroom, give us a call at 707-748-4000, or email us at Sales@SpecialtySales.com. Be sure to mention Stock # B11165 as well.

I assume – though I haven’t heard the term either – that it’s a basic alarm that goes off if your car’s being towed or jacked up to swipe the wheels. Maybe something like a bubble level; high tech protection for 1979.

I find this to be the most attractive and appealing car that Ford ever built on this platform, with the possible exception of the 72 Gran Torino which started the series. This Cougar was a genuine Mini Mark V, for all of the good or ill that the term implies. I will confess that one of these might have made my list had I been a new car buyer instead of a broke college kid.

I wonder if the owner was like those people who bought and kept their 1979 Lincolns because they knew that they would never be able to buy anything like it ever again? For someone who could not afford a Mark V, this would give a similar experience. The end of the line for the “traditional, no-compromise American car”.

Agree! FOR THE TIME PERIOD, this was a very smooth driving, up-to-date-modern car that gave all the quietness, smooth ride and social cache of a Mark Model, in a smaller size, with slightly better gas mileage, for much less mmoney.

I currently own a 79 T- Bird and 79 Lincoln Continental ( with the town car package) and enjoy both of ‘ em. Of course mine were bought around here for $900 And $750 respectively. The ‘Bird in April 02 and the Lincoln in November 01. And in spite of the low prices, both were in good shape. Not as nice as this one obviously, but mine were rust free and ran just fine. In fact the Lincoln had receipts in the glove box totalling over $4200 the owner had spent in the prior 5 years before I bought it. It’s far and away the best car deal I’ve ever made, even better than getting my Grandma’s 72,000 actual mile 74 Impala Sport Coupe for free in 03.

Nice car, but they can keep it. I was never fond of these, along with the other mid-size coupes of the day (Cutlass Supreme excepted), mainly because of the claustrophobic feeling you had when you rode in the sealed-off back seat.

Yeah, I can appreciate its pristine condition, and it’s always great to see a well-preserved everyday car from my youth, but apart from that, no thanks. A friend had one in the 80s and I drove it and rode in it on numerous occasions. Big and awkward on the outside, small and cramped on the inside, slow, clumsy and a gas guzzler. Plus, I always thought this generation of Cougar/Thunderbird were some of the dorkiest and tackiest looking cars of the 70s, really the nadir of domestic car design.

A lot of people will look at this as so wastefull. A 5.8 liter engine that could not win a drag race with a Prius. A small midsize cabin in a bigger than full size body.

One thing the car has his style, Look at the level of color coordination. The intricate decoration is charming and repulsing people all over.

What Ford as done lately with pickups with smaller efficient turbos and aluminum construction show what could be done. This car as made weighs about 4200 pounds. Lets add 300 pounds so that it meets modern safety standards. Now you could subtract 600 pounds or so for aluminum construction. You could also loose another 300 pounds with a small ecoboost engine. This car easily could weigh 3600 pounds and have 300 horsepower.

With such possibilities and a modern flexible construction line. Ford should be able to build cars in any style imagineable. Instead all cars now look the same. Ford as decided it is not worth doing, except for the uniquely American pickups and Mustang, all cars are commodities to be made at the cheapest place in the international style for the world market. Ford could do better.

I know, the Vignale below is a Mondeo/Fusion from bumper to bumper. But it does offer a bit of extra style and cachet, to keep it French.

I checked our Ford website, it’s listed as a Ford Vignale, not as a Mondeo. A red carpet treatment is included, with your own “Ford Vignale Relationship Manager”. You can call him or her 24/7, as long as your question or request is car-related….He or she picks up your car for service, and brings it back. Washed and in a shiny condition.

2:00 AM Er hello Vignale relationship manager, I have had a few drinks and can’t seem to tell my very special Vignale from the number of other Fusions in the lot. Could you come over and wash it. I bet it would stand out more if it was cleaner.

So is that a trim package for the Mondeo or are they marketing it as an entirely separate car?

I actually like those white diamond-pattern seats, though I could do without it on the door panels. And what’s with the chrome/silver accent on the lower bodyside ? I realize it follows the sheetmetal detail there, but it’s totally unnecessary and looks tacked-on. In my humble opinion.

Note that the basic Vignale is about € 19,000 more expensive than the basic Mondeo. It also has its own background color and Vignale-emblem. So it’s more than just a trim level/package, like Ghia in the past.

You are of course right that it has happened before. It is not always the case. Think of 1979 and even within the field of personal coupes there were aeroback Cutlasses and BMW 320i and even Lancia Gammas to consider.

To someone who doesn’t know modern cars, they all look the same.
To someone who doesn’t know ’30s cars, they all look the same.
To someone who doesn’t know ’70s cars, this Cougar is indistinguishable from an LTD II coupe or a Thunderbird, or any other boxy car from any other manufacturer of the time. You and me, we can tell the difference. It’s all a matter of choosing what to learn.

Drzhivago138

Posted February 5, 2016 at 5:44 PM

What sort of data can you provide that proves that the appearance of modern vehicles is any more homogenous than those of 40 years ago?

XR7Matt

Posted February 5, 2016 at 5:54 PM

How many mainstream body styles and configurations were there in 1977? How many are there today?

Dr. Z, you could even add four-door coupes and four-door coupe crossovers (eg ZDX, X6) to your list. After all, some consider two-door sedans and two-door coupes to be fundamentally different bodystyles so why not four-door sedans and four-door coupes?

Matt, respectfully I must agree with Dr. Z on this although I know this is a point of contention with many Curbsiders.

It does get a little bit tiresome to hear the “all cars look the same” argument. I understand many people feel that way but it’s often irrelevant to the topic and it’s a throwaway line that ends up creating arguments.

I don’t mean to be a wet blanket here but I feel it would be best if we saw a little bit less of that particular conversation around here because it is tedious and neither side can ever completely convince the other. Let’s instead talk about this verdant Cougar!

Drzhivago138

Posted February 5, 2016 at 8:06 PM

I have no problem with it being someone’s opinion, because styling is subjective. What I object to is when they try to present it like it’s some kind of quantifiable fact.

I find this XR7 to be the most beautiful example I’ve ever seen of a car too often maligned in hindsight.

XR7Matt

Posted February 5, 2016 at 8:13 PM

Whatever. I’m equally as tired of the “look how far we’ve come from these curbside POSs” conversation.

There are pros and cons to both new and old cars, I can agree to disagree if certain parties didn’t continually press the issue.

Dave M.

Posted February 6, 2016 at 5:33 PM

I for one can tell which brand and model something is from 200 feet just like I could 40+ years ago. But then again my brother thinks I’m 2 steps away from Rainman so…..

As much as I’d love a modern take on a Personal Luxury Car for the masses from Ford not enough people would buy them to make it profitable. Just the market of today. Many of the type of consumers who would have purchased a PLC in the 70’s would now rather buy a F150 Super Crew, and many are willing to pay top dollar to have them more luxuriously trimmed than a PLC of yore.

I always wondered why they changed the design of the tail pipe for just one year on this platform. Before ’79, they ran all the way to back bumper and turned down. The stick-out-at 45 degree behind the wheel thing was one year only.

That is a good question. Perhaps Ford wanted to prevent people from crushing the tailpipe when backing up and parking? Perhaps they wanted to try something different?

I guess it is a mystery just like why Ford added a rear mounted radio antenna to the 2005 Crown Vic and Grand Marquis. the 98-04 Vic and GM did not have that antenna(the antenna was embedded in the back window glass) and the 06-11 also did not have an external antenna. It was a one year only thing.

The switch back and forth always made me wonder. Fact is no intenna has ever worked that good. When you are far from a station the reception will go from acceptable to almost non existent when you turn on the rear defrost. So I thought it was great that they brought back a proper antenna on the 05 but then it was gone again. I’m happy I’ve had 05s for my last daily drivers.

I can share the enthusiasm for a perfectly preserved antique automobile, a time capsule on four wheels. Something that must be kept in this state as an example of the American automobile of that day.

However . . . . .

Look at a 1967 Mercury Cougar XR7 (to be fair, think of the automatic version, as most of them were sold that way). Then fast forward to what is, but the catalog name, the “same” car. And look at everything that went wrong with the American car industry in general over the period of twelve years. If this is the best that Detroit could produce at the time, then the Japanese were way too kind and forgiving in what they did to the industry.

To go from what what essentially a very competent and well thought of driver’s car to an ill-handling, fat, overwrought piece of cheap bling with little sense of taste . No, the Japanese were way too kind.

This was a a time when the Japanese were turning out wretched excrescenses like the Datson 200SX so they were hardly virtuous in that regard. The Cougar has a clean shape, a little fussy around the opera windows perhaps. Sure gas mileage was abysmal but that was the times it lived in.

Fun to look at and appreciate, and a ride that requires Dramamine and no-doz.
I will never forget how I had to turn the hood ornament sideways to keep from staring at the cougar profile. The hood is so long, the ornament continually sits on your driving horizon – it drove me absolutely nuts!

You sit so low in the soft velour seats and it seems the dash is up around your chin.

Ponderous and lethargic handling.

Beautiful and awesome to behold, but absolutely no fun after the first 50 miles of driving.

As well, the definition of a “coupe” has nothing to do with wheelbase and is described as a two door with fixed top with room for three passengers, though the description is pretty well muddied these days.

It’s pretty much a marketing gimmick today.

The SAE and International Standard have specific descriptions of what a “coupe” is or is not. SAE describes a coupe as having less than 33 square feet of interior space, a sedan as having more than 33.

Back in 11 a friend purchased a 77 T-bird that had just about every option, like the Interior Luxury Group that required you to buy AC ( that would have cost $1200 plus together) but still had the AM radio and no power locks , in spite of having power windows and power seat. Go figure. The power locks were only $50 and a AM/FM stereo was only $90.

Sounds like my grandparents’ ’78 T-Bird. Power locks and trunk release, but no power windows. Interior decor package (seats identical to the featured Cougar, but in a very leather-like brown vinyl), light package and a tilt wheel, but no cruise control and an AM radio. Rear window defogger? Check. Wire wheel covers or aluminum wheels? Nope. Base model wheel covers.

Then there was the ’77 T-Bird I saw at a car show in Ironwood, Michigan last summer. Sold new in Ironwood and in pretty good shape for an unrestored “survivor”, especially for the very rusty U.P. First one I’d ever seen with no a/c. Had a factory AM/FM/8-track, power windows, the exterior décor package, factory aluminum wheels and a few other goodies, but no a/c.

Every oil change and adjustment is documented….with only 9,600 miles, what is that, 5 or 6 receipts?
I am a big Mercury fan, and I wanted a Cougar XR7 so badly for my 1st car…but “settled” for a Cyclone GT. However, I’m not crazy about this car. About the only color combo that would be worse (IMHO), is red with a black roof and interior.
Having driven a 73 Gran Torino sedan that was less than 2 years old and being amazed that any car could be so big outside and so cramped inside, I wouldn’t be that interested in this car. I actually find the same generation of Thunderbird quite appealing. Just not crazy about that triple green.

A buddy of mine in college had a 1974 Grand Torino Elite. Handled like a tank with steering loose as a goose and gas mileage in the low tens. It reminded me of a shrunken T-Bird. I never liked it. At that time, Toyotas were coming into play.

Little did I know that the Torino would become the foundation for the 77 Thunderbird. I guess Ford was testing the waters to see if it could shrink the bloated bird. If I remember correctly, the new Bird was a “big” time success for Ford.

Little did I know that the Torino would become the foundation for the 77 Thunderbird. I guess Ford was testing the waters to see if it could shrink the bloated bird. If I remember correctly, the new Bird was a “big” time success for Ford.

Imagine if the downsized ’77 Cadillacs had been built with Chevy-grade interiors as standard and almost everything that had been standard equipment on Cadillacs in years past became optional. That was the ’77 T-Bird. Suddenly one could get a genuine THUNDERBIRD (prior to ’77 the Bird was really just a slightly cheaper Continental) for the price of an Impala.

It also didn’t hurt that they made the tired old Torino look a lot more expensive than it was. Sure, you could still get the Torino in the form of the LTD II, but the T-Bird outsold it and it wasn’t even close.

I didn’t really care for these when they were new but now I am more accepting of how they look. As several people have said these cars didn’t handle all that well on any kind of winding road, they were at their best cruising down the Interstate. Back then I was more interested in attacking the twisties but now the relaxed cruise mode is more my style. What stands out to me is how clean that engine compartment is; on most cars that area looks like a grease pit after a year on the road. It’s a good thing this car is 2200 miles from me or I would be tempted to pick up the phone.

Same here, and by 1979, these were dinosaurs. But, hearing all the stories of owners who miss and/or loved them, I give them some cred. At the same time, it’s a ’72 Gran Torino underneath which I have sentimental value.

Reminds me so much of the ’75 Torino Elite I had. Totally clapped out, 200K on the clock, most of which was spent pulling a loaded 2 horse trailer around the country. But the 400 still ran well, even if it was down to its last half quart of oil, with the lifters protesting. Had factory tach, and upon start up, I would have to smack the top of the dash to wake it up. Just like Fonzi did to the jukebox in “Happy Days” SO glad the ’70s are over. The build quality alone in my ’83 Ranger makes it seem like it’s from a different world than the Elite. And we won’t even start on my ’75 Granada…

Good: I do like the razor edge styling, infinitely better than its lumpy Torino predecessor. Pretty colours, although I think I would have preferred a white roof or a lighter/darker green roof. Nicely optioned.

Bad: As previous commenters have mentioned, huge, wallowing, inefficient pig with very little interior space. The Fairmont and Zephyr had more interior space. In 79 the new B bodies had come out and were miles ahead of this thing in power, interior room, and dynamics, as were the A bodies. The new Toronado, Riviera and Eldorado did personal luxury much better. The new Mustang was a sporty coupe if you wanted two doors. An Omnirizon was THE FUTURE NOW and would have had more interior space, better fuel economy, probably better build quality, and hatchback versatility.

My family were GM people up until GM stopped making anything remotely worth considering (around about 05 or so) so, actually, I really loved the look of the aeroback cutlass, although I would have been turned off by the fact that the rear windows don’t go down. I probably would have been suckered in by the X car hatchback and bought a highly optioned Phoenix.

Based on the experiences of friends and neighbors who took the plunge on a brand-new Omni/Horizon in 1978 and 1979, I seriously doubt that those cars had better build quality – or reliability – than this Cougar.

Agreed. In fact I think these are considerably more attractive than the ’71-’76 Cougars–the ’71-’73 cars always looked somewhat ill-proportioned, and the ’74-’76 looked too much like an Elite with a different front clip. These are better differentiated from the Thunderbird and/or LTD II..

Agreed. I have a ’68 Cougar (also dark green!) but do like this car for what it was, in the market, at the time. One thing not commented here is that this particular XR-7 has the luxury interior — a very pricey $700+ option back then. It was very rarely ordered on these cars, and was effectively the Thunderbird’s Town Landau interior. I think that, trim level for trim level, these cars consistently outshone their competition in attention to detail and quality of materials.

On a related note, in HS I worked with a woman who ordered a new ’77 Thunderbird with the 400-CID engine. CA-smog choked or not, that baby would move!

When these came out I thought they were ridiculous. As others have said too big on the outside, too small on the inside, too long in the nose and short in the trunk. Horrible gas mileage and cliched styling.

It’s in fantastic time capsule condition.

I was born in Benicia and now live in AZ. The opposite of the featured car.

Back in 67 or so, a reader asked Robert Gottleib, Motor Trend’s Classic Car editor if he thought buying a new Cougar and putting it on blocks for twenty years to preserve it would make it collectible.

Gottleib’s answer was no and asked why would anyone ever find 60s cars collectible? Impossible to restore with all the corner cutting of then modern cars, the cheap plastics and the pot metal dies, etc.

I disagreed then [I was 10 at the time], and here we are discussing the appeal of a well preserved 70s car as suggested by a Motor Trend reader nearly 50 years ago.

The same thing was said many times over the years about cars of the 70s. No one thinks what is common now will ever have any value over time. And then it does.

It was a well-known fact that people riding in cars with green interiors got car-sick at the three times the rate of non-green cars. The NHTSA put pressure on the car makers, threatening them with interior color regulations. They decided to voluntarily stop making green interiors.

They may as well have just gone through with regulating, if they’re strongarming consumer choice to that ridiculous extent. Not that it matters given the two choices available today. FWIW MN12 Tbirds and Cougars had full green interiors available through 1997, those are the last examples I can think of.

My grandpa had a ’97 F-150 in Pacific Green with Willow Green interior that always smelled like crayon wax and Club crackers.

For the 1999 refresh, both Cordovan and Willow Green were discontinued and replaced by Dark Denim Blue (I don’t know if this was a full-color option) and Dark Graphite. Dark Denim Blue was discontinued after 2000. Bring back colored interiors!

Are you yanking our collective chain, Paul? You sound like my great aunt. Back in the ’70s, she told me she would NEVER buy a car with a red interior. She said when you rode around in it, the red would reflect on your face and make you look sunburned. And she was dead serious!

I always understood that the reason for the decrease in interior (and exterior) color choices was more a desire to reduce manufacturing complexity, and therefore cost.

Never before have I seen something so perfectly preserved, and for something not all that common too.

I like this generation of Cougar, along with it’s Thunderbird cousin. Not to the extant of the original, but it has grown on me in months. Brougham love is just something you either get or you don’t, its like Marmite or progressive rock, there’s no inbetween when it comes to it. Personally, I really am a brougham fan for the most part, and this Cougar satisfies it. Not a big fan of the color scheme though, it just doesn’t look right to me.

I think as a collector car one could do better than this. yes, it is in the right condition, but for the same money you could find something a little more exciting AND NOT SO GREEN!!!!
where I would look at this tho is as a fun daily driver. look at what ten grand buys you nowadays. here in Ontario I just went shopping with a friend for a car in that price point. now she wanted a smaller car so we looked at a couple kias, a Malibu, a mazda 3 , all in the 5-7 year age range before deciding on a 5 year old kia soul with 75,000 miles on it. now bringing gas into it, I would think the closest in todays market would be a decently loaded pickup. would I rather spend ten grand on a probably decade old truck with a lot of miles on it or this for my daily ride. colour me green!!

In terms of design and styling, this and its relatives are some of the worst Detroit has ever made. On the other hand, AC and most of the goodies, and a super rare near mint example at a very reasonable price. Not for me, but awesome for someone.

Could someone please sell me a 1950 Ford or Lincoln Cosmo in similar shape with 10K miles for this price?

I don’t get the cougar hate at all. These are beautiful cars and way better than the gm competition. They were very reliable and comfortable and the styling is just beautiful like a junior mark v. I would drive it. They were truly great cars. I’m amazed gm sold any of its plain a body’s. Why buy those square compacts when you could get one of these. These were more comfortable and had a better drive train and were so much better looking. This is the best looking cougar ever and way nicer than the model they made before and after. I like the hood ornament and the long hood and the lincolnesque styling. I like the t bird too. They were not that small inside. They are also easy to modify and get plenty of performance out of. Parts are cheap and they are very well made and reliable. After Mark v this or a t bird would be my choice of a personal luxury car.

The late 70’s A-body was far from a compact. Maybe compared to these leviathans. And it depended on the drivetrain choice…nothing wrong with the 351 but I wouldn’t say it’s any better than a 305 (especially considering those had much less car to move around if we’re comparing ’79 offerings).

I love everything about this car! Yes, it’s a too big, wallowing, gas-swilling pig, but I love it all the same! The interior is gorgeous, seats look so comfy, everything is colour-co-ordinated and there is no grey anywhere! Also love the Lincoln style grille, the flashy trim and the squarish wheel on the trunklid. A real time capsule for sure.

Love the color combo. Love it love it love it. Not just green but a bright, verdant, almost tropical green.

As to the rest of the car? I actually like the styling of these late 70’s Cougars. The bladed fenders, the prominent grille, the “hump” all just work so well. And the time capsule condiiton is fantastic. Beyond that…it’s true that these were massively space-inefficient, wallowing, smog-choked contraptions of variable quality. It would make me extremely nervous on a narrow, winding road. But for simply cruising, where sharp handling isn’t needed, I think the car’s virtues could make me forget its faults.

i said i wasn’t gonna comment on this column. but this car is what the late 70’s were. you can talk about how big it is, how under-powered the engine is, How it is not advanced by modern standards. But if you look at any other manufacturer in 1977, it was par for the course, and still leaps and bounds over most “imports” by Toyota and Honda in most ways.

At this point, Toyota and Honda were like a 1990’s Kia in all ways but quality. You were gonna get a lighter car (by 1000 lbs), That could only seat 4 preteens. No power steering or brakes, A 3 speed manual with a shifter that felt like a #2 pencil rotating in a coffee mug. No air conditioning because the car would have to be pushed from a start to get moving. there were no 150 or 160 Hp engines from a 4 cylinder in 1979, probably 50 or 60 (maybe 70). plus that sweet pre mid 1980’s japanese vibration.

And all this wrapped in an uglier body, which was sold by a dealer that probably still sold Tires or Appliances on the side ( As most foreign car dealers did.. Again until the mid 80’s), and factory service was done at the local garage because most dealers did not have service facilities.

At least the “baby mark” did have room for at least 3 adults (in the front), the comfort and convenience features that made for a comfortable ride, and the torque from the V-8 engine did keep it from stalling when going up a hill from a dead stop.

All cars sucked in 1979, don’t look back at the imports with such rose colored glasses.
I attatched a pic of a 1979 japanese import for comparison. Remember that “Datsun Saves”!

Ford created so many cars off that basic torino – I think this green example is so 1970’s – I would like to have this so I can relive the days when you floated down the road and prayed that there were no corners that would scarf up the whitewalls as your tires leaned over and tried to meet the pavement on the sidewalls.

The only thing missing from this is a disco ball and some high heels and a wonderful white polyester suit.